COMPLIANCE WITH THE INTERNAL HALAL ASSURANCE SYSTEM AMONG FOOD SERVICE OPERATORS IN MELAKA.
Byline: Muhammad Haziq Hassan Sazelin Arif and Safiah SidekAbstract
Internal Halal Assurance System (SJHD) is a system that plays an important role in the halal certification. Through this system the integrity of halal food can be preserved throughout the different stages of food processing thereby ensuring the provision of a quality and halal food. Consistent with the efforts to gain recognition as the global halal hub Malaysia has imposed certification for the provision of halal food. Although food service operators are increasing seeking for halal certificate from respective authorities little is known whether they fully comply with the standards set by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). Therefore this study investigated the compliance of the internal halal assurance system among food service operators in the state of Melaka.
39 food service operators who have obtained halal certification volunteered to participate in a self-administered questionnaire to identify the extent to which internal halal assurance system is implemented in food premises. The results of this study found that food service operators were committed to comply with the halal assurance system. Further analysis across the four critical points showed that the food service operators gave emphasis on the cleanliness and quality of food but they deemphasised the establishment of the internal committee. This implies that their understanding of the compliance with the halal assurance system is limited to documentation cleanliness and quality food only ignoring the importance of establishing internal committee. Therefore this research could indirectly bring awareness to operators of food premises in Malacca to enhance the implementation of halal assurance system.
KEYWORDS: food service operators halal certificate internal halal assurance system compliance
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Malaysia is one of the many Muslim countries that has issued halal certification to a variety of halal food products. Additionally the Malaysian Halal logo has been recognized around the world [1]. Various schemes have been set by the respective authorities to ensure eligibiliy to apply for halal certification. These schemes involve food products abattoirs consumables cosmetics and food premises [2].
According to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia commonly known with the acronym of JAKIM the halal certificate is not just a religious requirement to gain halal certificaton manufacturers must adhere to strict cleanliness and quality control in addition to terms and conditions set by JAKIM [3].
In Melaka state particularly there are increasing number food premises that have started to seek for Halal Certification. They have been identified as the second highest in the category of food products that have received halal certification from JAKIM. The certificate is only valid for two years and they have to reapply accordingly.
Once they are given the halal certificate the food service operators are expected to comply with the halal assurance system. Further their eligibility for the halal certificate may be revoked anytime during the duration of two years if they were found not complying to the halal assurance system. In this case obtaining the halal certificate does not guarantee that they will continously comply with the halal assurance system. Hence more attention should be made to ensure that the food service operator continously conform to the practices of the halal assurance system.
This paper aims to report a study that investigated the compliance of the internal halal assurance system among food service operators in the state of Melaka. In doing so this paper is divided into three sections. In addition to the introduction section the next section is the literature review section. This is followed by the methodology section the results and discussion section and finally the conclusion section.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
The food service sector is one of the last thread in the entire food chain before the product reaches the consumers. This industry plays a vital role in eliminating the risk of illegal or syubhah to keep halal food is served to all especially to Muslim consumers [4]. Accordingly food service operators must provide a clean and safe food to their customers. In one study it is found that the assessment of the level of hygiene and safety should be given priority at food premises in order to avoid food poisoning to customers [5]. Additionally negligence of the operator in the food preparation and serving of food is identified as a source of contaminated food and can cause food poisoning [6].
Various innitiatives can be made by the food operators to avoid the occurance of negligence during food processing and one of them is to get acreditations from various agencies responsible for the provision of food services such as the Malaysian Halal Certification Safe Food Certification Industry Responsibility (MeSTI) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). Securing accreditations from these agencies indirectly guarantee the food service operators comply with the halal food processing system that reflects the provision of quality food.
The increased recognition on halal food globally has also resulted in food manufacters in Malaysia to seek Halal Certification Malaysia. According to the Director General of JAKIM 3469 applications for halal certification have been approved during the year 2012 as compared to which 1678 successful applications in 2011 [7]. Among the reasons for the increase in the application is that the manufacturers with halal certification and halal logo are perceived to have a competitive advantage compared to other goods [8]. In addition besides the food being processed in accordance to the principles of Muslim consumers halal certification signifies the provision of a quality product [9].
In this respect JAKIM and JAIN is committed to ensure the compliance with the requirements of halal certification by the Malaysian Halal Certification. A study found that employees of JAKIM are responsible for the management monitoring and control of food premises that have halal certification issued to them [10]. Furthermore efforts to monitor and guarantee the quality of halal food is not limited solely to JAKIM it should be done in-house at the processing stage as well. At present JAKIM has imposed a mandatory for all new applications for Malaysian halal certification in the category of multinationals to implement Halal Assurance System (Halal Assurance Management System) before they can apply for the halal certification [11]. Nonetheless this ruling has not been imposed to the category of halal food premises.
However the preparation for the implementation of the internal halal assurance system for certification need to be done in advance so that food premises are able to respond to those needs when required.
3.0 METODOLOGY
The aim of this study is to find out the compliance and non- compliance of the internal halal system among food service operators in Melaka. In this regard a self-administered survey has been conducted with 39 food service operators in the state of Melaka.
The design of the questionnaire was mainly based on relevant halal certification systems which are the MS1500:2009 Guidelines on Halal Certification Malaysia 2012 (second revision) and Guidelines on Halal Assurance System (JAKIM). To identify their compliance with the internal halal assurance system a questionnaire that comprises four sections each representing the critical points in the halal certification has been designed. These sections are: Section A (P1) with questions regarding the control of the critical point of raw materials and ingredients Section B (P2) with questions on the hygiene and sanitation practices in food premises Section C (P3) with questions related to the documentation system and Section C (P4) with questions related the internal halal committee. A total of 49 statements with Yes and No responses have been constructed and respondents are requested to choose one option only.
Prior to the conduct of the survey experts in Halal certification process from JAKIM were invited to validate the questionnaires.
The selection of the respondents were based on the list of food service operators who have received the halal certification from JAKIM in 2013 and they have registered with JAIM. Based on list 60 registered food service operators were identified and they were invited to participate in the study: however only 39 agreed to participate in this study.
The researchers personally distributed the questionnaires to the key personnels responsible for the implementation of the halal assurance practices in the respective food premises. To avoid biasness and misinterpetations of the questions the respondents responded to the questionniare in a special session with the researcher. They were also encouraged to seek clarification in cases when they had difficulties to understand the questions.
The responses were analysed manually. Statements with yes' responses represent action of compliance while statements with no' response represent action of non- compliance. Each of the yes' responses were given one mark. The total number of yes' response of each section and the overall total of the responses were then calculated. To determine the degree of compliance with the internal halal assurance system each of the sections were totalled up in percentages. The compliance with the internal halal assurance system among the food service operators was determined based on four levels: poor moderate good and excellent. The relationship between the percentages and the four levels is outlined in Table 1.
Table1: The Four levels of Compliance in Percentages
Percentage###Level
0 25###Poor
26- 50###Moderate
51 75###Good
76 100###Excellent
4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The degree of compliance with the internal halal assurance system is determined based on two aspects. Firstly the compliance with all categories of the system and secondly compliance with each of the four categories namely the halal assurance practice of the raw materials and ingredients the hygiene and sanitation in food premises the documentation system and the setting up of internal committee for halal compliance.
The level of compliance of the internal halal assurance among the food service operators is tabulated in Figure 1. Based on Figure 1 26 food service operators achieved good level while 13 food service operators achieved excellent level. In this case all the food service operators in Melaka comply with the internal halal assurance system with 66 percent of the food service operators achieve good level while 33 percent achieved excellent level. On the other hand none of the food service operators comply falls under the category of moderate and poor compliance with the halal assurance system. Based on this finding it can be implied that all holders of halal certificate is already bound to the standards set by JAKIM. This means that all the food service operators comply with the internal halal assurance system.
This shows that there are strong committment from the food service provider to comply with the internal halal assurance system. However considering that only 33 percent of them achieved excellent level there are still rooms for improvement.
System among Food Service Operators in in Melaka Compliance with the internal halal assurance system was also analysed based on the four critical points namely the use of raw materials and ingredients hygiene and sanitation practices system documentation and internal halal committee. Figure 2 shows the different levels of compliance with respect to the four critical points represented by P1 as raw materials and ingredients P2 as hygiene and sanitation practices P3 as system documentations and P4 as internal halal committee. For each of these critical points the level of compliance is identified based on the four levels: poor moderate good and excellent.
The results of the different degrees of compliance with respect to the four critical points are showed in Figure 2. With respect to halal practice compliance in terms of using raw materials and ingredient 62 percent (24) of the food service operators achieved good level while 36 percent (14) of them achieved excellent level and only 2 percent (1) achieved moderate level. None of the food service operators was classified as poor. With respect to compliance in hygiene and sanitary practices 95 percent (37) of the food service operators perform excellently and 5 percent (2) achieved good level. None of them were categorised as moderate or poor in this case. For P3 that is compliance with the documentation system 90 percent (35) of the food service operators achieved excellent level 8 percent (3) achieved good level and only 2 percent (1) achieved moderate level.
None of the food service operators performed poorly. Finally for the establishment of the internal committee 62 percent (24) food service operators achieved poor level 18 percent (7) achieved good level and 15 percent (6) achieved excellent level. Only 5 percent (2) received moderate level. Unlike the three critical points that are the raw materials and ingredients hygiene and sanitary practices and documentation system the food service operators did not put much committment in establishing internal committe. This implies that their understanding of compliance with the halal assurance system is restricted to adhering the halal practise in documentation system raw materials and ingredients and hygiene and sanitary. Hence more attention needs to be given on the adherence to the establishment of internal committee.
In comparison to the compliance across the four critical points the results show that the food service operators achieved the highest score for excellent in the compliance with hygiene and sanitation followed by complaince in raw material and ingredient. The third is the documentation system and the least is the establishment of internal committee for halal compliance. This indicates that with respect to the compliance in the internal halal assurance system most of the food service operators have good practice in hygiene and sanitation and raw materials and ingredients. Considering that they are the food service provider their main concern is to serve quality food. The level cleanliness in the food premises is also emphasised by the Melaka Islamic Religious Department (JAIM) Ministry of Health Malaysia and assisted by local authorities (LAs).
Further the food service operators were aware of the need to comply with the halal practice in terms of cleanliness and raw materials as it has strong impact on the customers' perception [10].
The elements that need attention and improvement is on the appointment of a committee of internal halal. Based on the results showed in Figure 2 the establishment of a committee for the category of internal halal food premises is not encouraging. There are two possible reasons for not complying to this critical point. Firstly the management of the food service premises are not aware of the importance in setting up the committee and secondly they do not have enough qualified staff in the field of halal food. The internal halal committee should consist of members from top officials in the organization of food premises so that they can make important decisions pertaining to matters in halal food.
5.0 CONCLUSION
This paper reports on the compliance with the internal halal assurance certifiction among food service operators in the state of Melaka. Overall most of the food service operators are committed to comply with the system as they achieved as either good or excellent. When analysing their performance based on the four critical points they performed relatively well with respect to hygiene and sanitation and raw materials and ingredients while relatively poor in the establishment of the internal committee. This shows that they saw the importance of prioritising on the cleanliness and quality of the food and did not put emphasis on the establishement of the internal committee. Setting up the internal committees is important as they are the decision makers for any arising matters pertaining to the process of complying to halal assurance system.
Therefore this research could indirectly bring awareness to operators of food premises in Malacca to enhance the implementation of internal halal assurance system for empowering halal certification that they receive.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank the Department of Higher Education Malaysia and the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Malaysia for funding the research under reserach grant RAGS/2012/PBPI/SS103/1 B00019.
REFERENCE
[1] Mohamad Khan Transformasi Industri Halal" Dewan Ekonomi Oct-2011.
[2] Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia 2011 Mpphm (Semakan Kedua). Bahagian Hab Halal 2011.
[3] Nor Rosnita Gani Prosedur Pengeluaran Sijil Halal Oleh Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim)" Universiti Malaya 2006.
[4] Ilyia Nur Ab Rahman Suhaimi Ab. Rahman Rosli Saleh Dan Dzulkifly Mat Hashim. Pengurusan Produk Halal Di Malaysia" Polisi Pensijilan Halal Bagi Ind. Restoran Di Malaysia 2011.
[5] S.Govindasamy Mohd Nurul Haryadie Mazuki Ong Hooi Theng Dan Norrakiah Abdullah Sani Kajian Awal Bagi Menilai Keberkesanan Senarai Semak Pemeriksaan Premis Makanan Berasaskan Risiko Bagi Menjamin Kebersihan Makanan" In 7th Kelantan Health Conference 2011 2011.
[6] Mohd Anuar Bin Abdul Rahman and Alina Masri Bt Md Yusoff Pengetahuan Dan Pengamalan Sanitasi Makanan Di Dewan Makan Asrama Sekolah Menengah Bandar Kluang" Fakulti Pendidikan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 2010.
[7] Bernama Jakim: Permohonan Sijil Halal Meningkat" Sinar Harian Kuala Lumpur 16-Jan-2013.
[8] Sanep Ahmad Hairunnizam Wahid Surtahman Kastin PKS Di Persada Dunia Melalui Tanda Halal: Kes Gelagat Pengguna" Kumpulan Kajian Ekonomi Kewangan Islam Pusat Pengajian Ekonomi Fakulti Ekonomi Perniagaan Univiversiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Pp. 116 2007.
[9] Rudy Bruil Halal Logistics And The Impact Of Consumer Perceptions" University Of Twente 2010.
[10] Azuniza Azhar Ahmad Irdha Mokhtar Pengurusan Pengawalan Dan Pemantauan Halal Terhadap Premis Makanan Oleh Jakim: Satu Tinjauan Kajian" In Prosiding Kolokium Antarabangsa Siswazah Pengajian Islam (Kaspi 2013) 13 November 2013 Isbn 2013 No. November.
[11] Department Of Islamic Development Malaysia Guidelines For Halal Assurance" 2013.
[12] Sharifah Zannierah S.M. Hall C.M. and Ballatine P.W. "Restaurant managers' perspectives on halal certification Journal of Islamic Marketing"Vol 3 No 1 pp. 47-58 2012.
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| Publication: | Science International |
|---|---|
| Article Type: | Report |
| Geographic Code: | 9MALA |
| Date: | Dec 31, 2014 |
| Words: | 2900 |
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